Cottage & Rural Industries Policy, 2016: Gujarat Govt plans to revive 6 ‘languishing’ crafts

The six languishing crafts identified by the government are sujni weaving craft of Bharuch, pithora painting of Chorwad and Chhota Udepur, rogan art an wooden lacquer work of Nakhatrana, mashroo fabric of Patan and Mandvi and namda craft of Mundra.

Patel said that under the first such policy, languishing crafts will be identified and added to the list, and the government will provide support in facilitating availability of raw material, training in design development, product diversification and bringing market to the artisans.

Apart from this, as part of its support in design development for the sector, the government has announced to set up a design studio in Gujarat Matikam Kalakari & Rural Technology Institute (GMK&RTI) for the artisans involved in cane and bamboo crafts, pottery and clay idol making, leather, jute and natural fiber articles. The studio will provide training to these artisans in design and product development, color theory, packaging, branding and marketing.

Expert designers from reputed institutions like the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology University (CEPT), the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), the National Institute of Design (NID) will be involved in imparting the training. To promote technology and innovation in the sector, the policy has announced constitution of a start-up fund in collaboration with GVFL Limited (formerly Gujarat Venture Finance Limited) for providing seed capital to encourage promising ideas in the sector. Patel said details about the said fund like its size will be announced in the upcoming budget session of the Assembly. Under the policy, the government will also facilitate artisans/industrial cooperatives in attaining Geographical Indication (GI) certification to protect intellectual property rights of their products.

The minister said as part of the policy, a platform for online sales of handloom and handicraft products had been set up to bring the market to artisans’ doorstep. He said an online directory of artisans and products was also maintained through which buyers can directly contact the artisans.

For infrastructure development for the sector, the policy document said that a state museum showcasing the historical lineage of the ethnic crafts and its aesthetic craftsmanship will be set up. The policy has also relaxed a rule under which land ownership was mandatory to obtain financial assistance under the Gramodyog Vikas Kendra (GVK) and Cluster Development Scheme (CDS). Also, the societies and cooperatives having buildings on lease for 10 years will be considered eligible for this assistance.

For making the raw material easily available to the artisans of the select crafts, the policy document stated a raw material bank will be set up. The policy also promises initiatives to bring social security to the artisans, most of whom belong to the economically weaker sections of the society.

The policy also includes various initiatives to provide financial assistance to the artisans.